Giants Get Speedy Leadoff Man Lofton

Kenny Lofton always wants to be in a pennant race, and the San Francisco Giants have always wanted a leadoff hitter who could play center field.

Lofton, 35, and the Giants both got what they wanted on Sunday when San Francisco acquired the speedy six-time All-Star from the Chicago White Sox for two minor leaguers.

“It’s a great opportunity to get into a playoff race, and that’s always exciting,” Lofton said. “It was tough to leave Chicago, but sometimes you just have to go with your heart.”

Lofton sacrificed a significant amount of potential bonus money to join the Giants in a trade that nearly was scuttled several times in the last few days because of financial concerns. When they were finally resolved, the Giants got the leadoff-hitting outfielder they’ve lacked for so long.

“The team thinks this is really a shot in the arm,” Giant General Manager Brian Sabean said. “Kenny wanted to come here in the off-season as a free agent, and Lord knows we wanted someone here in the leadoff spot.”

The Giants sent right-hander Felix Diaz and left-hander Ryan Meaux to Chicago for Lofton, who was hitting .259 with eight homers, 42 runs batted in and 22 stolen bases with the White Sox this season. He’s sixth in the AL in stolen bases and third in triples.

Lofton will be expected to contribute immediately to a San Francisco outfield that was missing Barry Bonds, Reggie Sanders, Tsuyoshi Shinjo and Marvin Benard during a weekend series against the Dodgers because of injuries.

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New York Yankee ace Roger Clemens might make another rehab start before coming off the disabled list.

“We’ll watch him throw, and get a feel,” Manager Joe Torre said. “We can always send him back or send him wherever he needs to go for his rehab, which would be on Thursday.”

Clemens, who had a strained right groin, threw 92 pitches in a rehabilitation start for Class-A Tampa on Saturday night.

The Yankees also activated pitcher Sterling Hitchcock, sidelined by a lower back injury, from the 15-day disabled list.

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The Houston Astros released veteran reliever T.J. Mathews only 11 days after he came off the 60-day disabled list.

Mathews, signed as a free agent in the off-season, missed more than two months after straining his right biceps on April 2.